BROWNSTOWN

A larger building for Brownstown’s street department is on the horizon.

Brownstown Town Councilman Mark Reynolds recently shared information with his fellow council members about constructing a new building near the wastewater department on the far west side of town off of U.S. 50.

He received a quote of $56,900 for an 80-by-100-foot steel-frame building with four bays on the 100-foot side, two entry doors, two windows and 4-inch insulation on the roof and walls.

Reynolds said the cost to pour concrete could be around that same amount. Plus, there would be electrical and heating costs.

“I’ve been looking at radiant heat, heat in concrete,” Reynolds said. “It’s a little more expensive to begin with, but in the long run, it will be money ahead, money you are going to save because in buildings like that, you get that concrete heated up, it doesn’t take much to keep it warm. It’s generating heat, and that heat rises. Heat is coming out of that concrete, and it’s rising up.”

The current location of the street department only has two bays, but Reynolds proposed four bays for the new building.

He said one of the bays could be used for storage of equipment and supplies and could have a wall built to separate it and not have to be heated.

“You don’t want to build a building that’s just big enough now,” Reynolds said of the reason for expanding to four bays.

“If the town keeps growing like we think it’s going to … I’d rather spend extra money right now if it’s there to get a building bigger than what we think we need because you go adding on, then 10 years from now, what’s construction cost?” he said. “Inflation and everything has gone up, and then we’re going to have as much in add-ons as what we had in the original building.”

The town plans to sell the building that currently houses the town hall, police department and street department at 200 W. Walnut St.

Last year, the town decided to pursue the building that formerly housed The Jackson County Banner office at 116 E. Cross St. because the current location for town offices was built in 1945, is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and does not have adequate space for the police department.

In April 2018, the purchase agreement was signed after AIM Media Indiana accepted the $60,000 offer for building. AIM Media is the owner and publisher of The Jackson County Banner and The Tribune.

During a meeting in early January, the council approved hiring David W. Correll Architect LLC of Seymour as the engineering firm for the remodeling project.

That will include heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electrical, a new roof, a new floor, insulation and moving some walls. The council estimates that cost to be between $150,000 and $200,000.

When completed, the building will have the clerk-treasurer’s office and a room for town meetings in the front part of the building, and the back will be occupied by the police department.

Correll is working on professional engineer drawings, including mechanical, electrical and lighting, and will apply for the state permit and help the town create a bid package for contractors.

Once the town picks a contractor, construction of the interior of the 5,200-square-foot building should start in the spring.